Chapter Four

not mine, don't sue

Anakin didn't slow as he neared the doors separating him from his Master. Instead, he sped up. The Force poured into every cell in his body as he ripped the steel barricade off its hinges with flick of his hand.

Anakin flew into the room, lightsaber swinging. The unlucky destroyer standing near the entrance collapsed, oil spurting from its power lines to pool at the frantic Padawan's feet.

Obi-Wan, the greatest Jedi Anakin had ever known, was sprawled on the hard, cold floor.

And he wasn't moving.

A fallen, broken droid lay next to him. Five others littered the ground; Obi-Wan had taken out over half of them on his own.

No, Father! "Master!"

But there was no response and no time to check on him. Four droids still remained standing, and Anakin was more than willing to put an end to that.

Hate flowed through him, as it had on several occasions before. It was like an animal that constantly chased him, snapping at his heels. Most of the time, he outran it, but then sometimes it sunk its teeth in. This was one of those days.

He didn't care.

I will not lose anyone else. He Force jumped, spinning in midair and taking out two with a single swipe. As soon as his boots touched the ground he ran at the nearest enemy. One meter before he reached striking distance he flung his saber, splitting the machine in half before calling the saber back to his hand. One more.

There was a tremor in the Force. Danger.

He ran up the wall in front of him and somersaulted off it, landing behind the final droid who had peppered the spot he had been seconds before with blaster fire. He swung his weapon at an angle, then watched as the atrocity split into two pieces and clattered to the floor.

A moan sounded to his left. "Master," he gasped. He fled to Obi-Wan and knelt down at his side. All the hate melted away, as if it had never been. It was replaced by fear and love. He gritted his teeth and peeled aside the blood stained cloak covering his friends injuries. It took every once of meditative training he had to stay focused as he swallowed the bile that was burning his throat.

Assess the wounds. His hand cupped Obi-Wan's clammy cheek as he tilted his Master's head to the side. Burn to the left neck, looks like from their blasters. His eyes traveled down to the shoulder he had leaned against not long ago. The area was black and red. Another blaster shot.

Then he saw where most of the blood had come from. He didn't know what had done it, but his Master had been stabbed in his right thigh. Thank the Force, it's only in the leg. But he was still bleeding and walking was going to be a problem. There was also a strange greenish tint to the skin surrounding the wound, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. Anakin ripped a large section off his own robe and jury-rigged a tourniquet. It will have to do.

He went to carry his teacher when he remembered to check the ribs. Smart move, cause him more pain. Slowly and carefully he lifted his Master's tunic. Dark and light purple already mottled his pale skin. Broken or bruised. Please only bruised. Either way he knew from experience it was going to hurt like Sith. His fingers probed the wounded area. Obi-Wan didn't even flinch. He was out cold. Anakin didn't know whether to be worried or grateful. Nothing felt broken, but honestly what did he know?

He did the only thing he could. He tore even more fabric from his cloak and wrapped his Master's ribs as tightly as possible. Then he said a prayer and flung him over his shoulders.

He made it into the main hallway leading to where he had left the doctor before he smelled it. The scent was unmistakable. He had first inhaled it on Tatooine, when he had singed his arm on a fried circuit trying to repair a crashed pod racer. It still made his stomach roll. Burned flesh.

He didn't need to look, but he did anyway. The enemy had found their informant, and silenced him with a brutal efficiency. This hadn't been done by droids, Jabiimi warriors were responsible, he would recognize their handiwork anywhere. The Council is going to be furious. His precious burden moved slightly, then fell still again.

It didn't matter. If he could get his Master off this Sith-hole alive, it would all be worth it. Even if they threw him out of the Jedi Order. As long as Obi-Wan survived, none of that mattered.

He observed a moment of silence to mourn the unfortunate death, as was Jedi custom, and then made a beeline for the exit. This is way to easy, where are the soldiers who killed Kreyu?

Alarms began to sound; red lights flashed on and off along the tops of the walls, and doors began slamming shut all around him. I had to wonder.

Anakin barreled towards the supply closet and leapt inside just before the door flattened him. The edge of his cloak didn't quite clear the entrance, so he shrugged it off while kicking loose the metal they had carefully replaced earlier. It fell against the muddy ground with a satisfying splat. He crawled out carefully making sure he didn't bang his Master's body against the edge. Once on the outside, he stood to full height, and then ran as fast as the force could take him.

He had a vague sensation of being shot at, but he was never hit. The moment he reached the tree line he began traveling in a zig-zag motion, occasionally leaping into the trees to search the landscape. No one was following him…yet. He knew they would be on his trail within minutes and they wouldn't be on foot; they would have swoops and air ships. He had to get himself and Obi-Wan hidden, and he had to do it now.

Use your surroundings to your advantage Anakin. Never take anything for granted. What's obvious to you, may not be to others.

"Yes Master," he mouthed at the echo of one of Obi-Wan's lessons. Even unconscious, he still managed to lend a hand.

He scaled another massive tree, Obi-Wan still lying limply across his shoulders. His head cleared the horizon and he smiled. A cave, not a mile from here. It wouldn't be easily visible from the air, all they would see was a grassy hill. He could barely make out the opening with his enhanced senses, and with any luck the bushes and small trees would conceal it from any ground forces.

"What is obvious to me….." He squeezed his Master's arm. I'll keep you safe.

The journey down the tree was uneventful. He stepped down, his feet never making a sound as he began the trip toward the shelter he'd discovered. He stretched out his senses, and could feel the presence of angry and scared natives. He could almost taste the fear in the air. This planet was a trader's playground, anyone was probably willing to sell their soul for a favor.

He knew he was tiring, but refused to rest. A Jedi had plenty of reserves to draw on, he would rest once he got his Master to safety.

Now came the hard part, he had to go out in the open. There would be no cover for the next twenty meters. It was almost night. He could do it. Anakin took a deep breath then darted out of the forest. Mud and rain splattered against his body. He wanted to wipe at his eyes, but he wasn't willing to risk dropping Obi-Wan, so he tried in vain to blink the dirt from his vision. He ignored his burning eyes and focused on the cave.

He was less than five meters from the opening when he heard and felt it. A swoop was approaching their position, fast. There was a chance they hadn't been spotted. He clung to that as he found the energy to speed up; he was a blur across the landscape.

He only slowed once he reached the line of bushes, and short, wide tree stumps. It was too dark to see the opening clearly anymore, but that was also an advantage. The men hunting them would never find it, not until daylight anyway. The swoop breezed by, never altering course. They hadn't been sighted.

He located the entrance in seconds. Anakin slid his Master off his shoulders and cradled him against his chest then dropped to his knees and, using extreme caution, crept inside.

After he cleared the low area at the front of their newfound safe house, he was able to stand. Exhaustion finally hit him and he had to use his reserves just to carry his injured Master over to an indentation that would provide protection and allow him something smooth to lean against.

He longed for his discarded cloak now, as he was forced to lay Obi-Wan against the cool rock

At least I still have my pack.

He felt through his survival bag locating a glow rod. He struck it against his knee and the cavern was bathed in an eerie green light. Thankfully it didn't stretch far enough to draw anyone's attention outside. Anakin made a mental checklist. Skinseal check, rations check, smoke grenades check, extra glow rods check, and one secured teacher, double check.

He reached out for his Master's hand and found it to be trembling. Obi-Wan's skin was on fire. He grabbed the light source and shined it on his friends face. Perspiration outlined Obi-Wan's tired features.

"Master…Master," he shook Obi-Wan gently. "Can you hear me?"

Nothing…..then a soft moan.

This wasn't right. He had seen Obi-Wan sustain worse injuries and keep fighting. Something was amiss, and he didn't know what it was.

Fear coiled around his belly as he fought the urge to panic. He closed his eyes and tried to connect with his mentor. Obi-Wan was there, on the verge of waking, but he was having trouble finding his way.

And there was something else, something that didn't belong. It was a foreign presence, one Anakin had never felt before.

One thing at a time, first he needed to rouse his Master. Anakin gave him a mental nudge, and felt alertness ripple through his friends mind.

"Ani….Anakin," his Master's voice was hoarse and weak, his eyes clouded with confusion.

"I'm here Master. You're safe for the moment," he rested his non mechanical hand on his teacher's unscathed shoulder.

"What…" he took a ragged breath, "happened?"

"What do you remember?"

Obi-Wan's eyebrows scrunched together and his lips pursed. When he met Anakin's gaze again his eyes were no longer unfocused. "The mission." He tried to sit up, but turned pale and leaned back clutching his side, panting.

Anakin's heart clenched, "Careful Master. You'll injure yourself further."

"Good advice," Obi-Wan managed.

Dread wormed its way back into his soul, he knew what he had to tell his Master. But more than that, he feared what his teacher would say in response to his rash, emotion filled actions.

"Master," his voice threatened to waver. He mustered an illusion of calm, "I disobeyed you."

"That, my Padawan, is obvious," was the dry response.

Anakin tried to smile, but all he managed was not to cry. " I went back for you…I couldn't leave you….I just couldn't," his voice lost all semblance of control.

"Anakin, where is Doctor Kreyu?"

There was no point in delaying the inevitable. "I left him alone when I went back for you Master. When I returned, he was dead. It is my fault and I accept whatever the consequences will be for my actions." His voice dropped an octave and quivered, "And I well respect whatever your decision is…. regarding our relationship. On whether or not you still want …," he couldn't make himself finish the sentence out loud. ….Me as your Padawan. On whether you still want me at all.

Obi-Wan was staring at him with such intensity that Anakin had to look away. He stared at the glow rod near his feet, the light was blurring from the tears that had snuck in. He waited for his Master to speak. Waited to hear the words he had feared since learning a Master had the right to dismiss his apprentice. It wasn't consider shame, a more appropriate match would be found they said. But there wasn't a better match. If Obi-Wan wouldn't train him, he would leave the Order.

He had thought about it anyway since marrying Padme. He hated all these secrets, these lies. If Obi-Wan only knew… maybe it was better this way. Then he could have a less unruly, less unpredictable apprentice. One that would be a model Jedi, someone not him. Maybe his Master deserved better. The Council certainly felt so, for they had never trusted him. Sometimes he even felt they feared him, but he didn't know why.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's voice was so tired.

He wanted to answer, but his voice wouldn't cooperate. I'm so sorry Master. I couldn't leave you, not even for the identity of a Sith lord.

"Anakin….look at me."

He pried his eyes away from the light, and met his Master's even gaze. He gave nothing away, Obi-Wan was the king of hiding his emotions, but that didn't mean didn't have any.

Anakin swallowed and waited for the words that would shatter his world.

end chapter four

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C